To create the best performance possible every choir member should aim to sing their parts without having to look at the music. It can be hard for some to learn text off by heart and it can also be scary to not have your music in front of you. It becomes like a comfort blanket. You will have rehearsed the songs so many times that you will know them and once you trust yourself to sing without looking at the music you will be surprised by how much you already know.
You are then able to watch the MD all of the time who will encourage you, which you will be receptive to as you are watching, and this again lifts a performance. The MD is there to lead and motivate you and they in turn will be motivated by your response to them. This will create a good performance and a good experience for the choir and the audience.
Looking up all of the time will create a better connection with the audience and if you know your words off by heart you will be able to interpret them better. Learning the words and your line off by heart is another benefit to your brain as it activates another part of it, all adding to the multifaceted aspect of singing.
If you do need to use music make sure it is at a height that you can just move your eyes up to see the MD and then down again to read your music. Do not hold the music so low in front of you that your head bobs up and down or worse the MD gets a good view of the top of your head.
If you struggle to learn a song off by heart then break it down into verses/chorus and then individual lines. Create an image for yourself of the meaning of the text of each line for you. Doing this will help you learn the lines quicker. Making an image funny and ridiculous helps the process too. Sometimes singers can remember a line of text but not the first word. Gather all your first words of each line and create a funny story around that new sentence. You may have other ideas as to how to easily remember text and I would love to hear them I merely offer a suggestion that works for me.
Exercise
Be brave, pick a song you are most familiar with and just not have the music in front of you. Trust yourself and you will be surprised at how much you do already know. By worrying too much about the text and whether you can do it, you interfere with your brain and prevent it from doing what it knows how to. Have faith and trust.
